M&P Pistols Now Selected by Law Enforcement and Security Divisions in 13 Countries

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 156-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection and sport, announced today that it has secured an order from the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) in Ontario, Canada, for 600 of the company's M&P40 polymer pistols. Police personnel in the three districts of HRPS, which encompasses the city of Burlington and the towns of Oakville, Milton and Halton Mills, will use the M&P40 as their primary sidearm, replacing competitive firearms currently used by the agency.

Smith & Wesson company officials also indicated that several international law enforcement agencies and security divisions, totaling over 5,000 officers in 13 countries, have now purchased M&P Series pistols for duty use. International law enforcement agencies that have selected the M&P40 pistol include the Gatineau Police Department in Quebec, Canada, and the Peel Regional Police Department in Ontario, Canada. Among the largest police agencies in Canada, both departments selected the M&P40 pistol after a testing and evaluation process that explored a number of competing products. Other calibers of the M&P polymer pistol series have been successful internationally as well. International agencies and security divisions that selected the 9mm, M&P9 pistol include the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) in Columbia, South America; Korea National Police in the Republic of Korea; Rhio Zone Regional Police in Belgium; Tranporte Police in Spain; Nuclear Security Agency in France; United Nations Security Force in the Netherlands; Lebanon Army and Security Forces and the Malaysia Prison Department. In addition, the M&P Pistol was selected by various police agencies in Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Agencies in both Italy and Thailand.

Officials at several law enforcement agencies indicated that the M&P pistol incorporated key features including ambidextrous controls an enhanced ergonomics as important factors in their decision making process. During the testing and evaluation periods conducted by each of the agencies, the M&P pistol won high marks in both performance and accuracy.

Leland Nichols, President and Chief Operating Officer of Smith & Wesson Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, said, "As we continue to execute on our strategy to become a significant supplier of law enforcement and military products, we believe there are many opportunities for Smith & Wesson to continue to support police agencies and security divisions worldwide. To that end, we will continue to intensify our focus by providing a broad portfolio of products along with a dedicated support staff in order to further penetrate the international market. We look forward to working with each of our law enforcement, security and military partners in making the Smith & Wesson brand synonymous with safety, security, protection and sport across the globe."

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security, protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world's largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles, interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America's longest running firearms training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to http://www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to http://www.tcarms.com.

Industry Contact: Gary Giudice
Blue Heron Communications
(800) 654-3766
gary@blueheroncomm.com

Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
(480) 949-9700 x. 115
lsharp@smith-wesson.com

SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation

Web site: http://www.smith-wesson.com
http://www.tcarms.com